


The Law of Attraction

by Sundriedlilies



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: AU, Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-23 06:38:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13184439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sundriedlilies/pseuds/Sundriedlilies
Summary: What if it isn’t love between Carol and Therese at first encounter? And what if the repercussions of a one night stand outweigh the possibility of anything good coming after it?A take on what would happen if Carol had unknowingly slept with woman her best friend was in love with.I’ve changed this into a prompt. I simply can’t shake the writers block with this one. If anybody wants to take this fic over, please leave a comment saying so.





	The Law of Attraction

“Spread your legs.”

And she does, Therese opens her legs obediently, without a speckle of remorse present in her features. And Carol, who had only met Therese at the bar a mere 28 minutes ago, could care less about any morals or the small voice that screamed she was too old to indulge in a tryst like this— a one night stand. But she ignored it, because it wasn’t as if Therese had been the first random woman she’d taken to bed, quite the contrary, Therese was amongst a long list of many others.

“Oh god.” Therese moaned, and Carol intended to do anything and everything in her power to keep Therese like this— wide open, gasping for air, clutching at the bed sheets. She was divine when Carol spotted her in the bar for the first time dressed in a form fitting black dress and she is even more radiant now, wearing nothing but a thin layer of sweat as she stares down at Carol. And they hold each other’s gazes Therese with tears building up in her eyes from the sheer intensity of the orgasm that is approaching her, and Carol with a raw and unadulterated gaze of lust.

The only thing that can be heard are the quick jerky gasps coming from Therese and the wet sound of Carol’s mouth on her sex, and Carol can’t help but get lost in her. With her brain clouded and her body overcome with the need to please, blue eyes disappear behind closed lids and Carol begins to suck deftly on her, knowing Therese is close by the way that her legs were trembling.

There was a part of her that deemed this as ‘too quick’ and she wanted this to last longer, but she couldn’t pull away, feeling powerless against her body’s will to satisfy this beautiful specimen of woman she had before her. And she wanted to pull away, even if just to let Therese catch her breath for a few seconds and then go back in and devour her all over again, but all too soon, Carol felt the insides of Therese’s thighs cushion each side of her face, signaling Therese’s orgasm.

She clenched desperately at Carol’s hair urging her to stay put until it was over, and her body jerked in unsynchronized motions as she screamed out Carol’s name, riding through the waves of pleasure that coursed through her body. And Carol didn’t move, even after Therese relaxed her grip and laid limp against the bed. She stayed put to gaze in slight awe at how beautiful Therese looked when she was spent. And she felt a flutter in her stomach, the slightest presence of butterflies made themselves known when green eyes gazed down at her warmly and a small, satisfied, smile painted itself across Therese’s lips.

“That was...” She couldn’t finish a thought as she summoned Carol to come up to her, wanting to praise the lips that just brought her to what felt like the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced. And she doesn’t give Carol the chance to be smug about it, Therese captures her lips and kisses her with fervor, as if she needs her, and Carol basks in the feeling of being wanted even if it’s only temporary. Because this is why she appears in the same bar night after night leaving with a new woman each time. This is why, because even though it may be a brief encounter and none of it is real— none of this means anything... it still manages to feel very genuine.

The way Therese stares at her, softly cups her face, and holds her intimately close— every woman before her has done the same, and Carol knows better than to get swept away in a moment of post orgasmic euphoria. And yet, she feels herself falling for the soft allure of it all anyhow. Just as she does every other night. Therese is no different than any other woman Carol has taken to bed, but somehow when the glimmer in Therese’s green eyes catches Carol’s gaze and Carol can feel Therese’s breath hitting her lips, Carol helplessly concludes that, that statement isn’t true.

She didn’t know— couldn’t possibly know what was so different about this woman, this seemingly average woman she pulled from the bar. But there was something about her. Even down to the way her hands roamed Carol’s body, as if they were familiar with her.

It caused Carol to do something she most certainly had never done with any of the other women she’d taken home before. “Will you stay the night with me?” And if it hadn’t been completely silent and they hadn’t been so intimately close to one another, Therese may not have heard her ask. How had this beautiful confident woman, Carol, turned so timid in the presence of Therese?

“You made it clear that-“

“I know what I said, Therese, but will you stay anyway?” And Therese couldn’t have known how detrimental her answer would be to Carol, a woman who was cold, scathing, and seemingly unable to possess any certain emotions outside of her passion filled nights. But maybe if she had known that little fact, or if she could see the hint of desperation swirling in blue eyes maybe she would’ve agreed. Just maybe.

“Carol, I told you, I thought we agreed earlier. This is just fun, it wasn’t anything else. You know I won’t spend the night.” Her harsh words coupled with the affectionate circles Therese still traced softly on Carol’s back produced a sickeningly dizzy feeling in her head. The contrast of what Therese was saying and what she was doing was maddening.

Carol rolled over without a word and looked up to the ceiling. She should’ve listened to the little voice that screamed at her to leave this girl in the bar. She was too young— or rather she was better at Carol’s game than Carol was. “I still have a few more hours.” Therese said suggestively as she inched her hand closer to Carol’s nether region. “Let me return the favor.”

The favor. Because this was a favor, a business like transaction one where you had to give in order to receive and vice versa. Carol rolled her eyes, feeling more put off that she actually made herself vulnerable in a moment, and got turned down. Refusing to acknowledge that her feelings were actually hurt and that she didn’t crave sex, but rather the intimacy, she swatted Therese’s hand away from her body.

“Go Home Therese.” Carol said sounding exhausted.

And Therese flashed a look of confusion before she smiled and went back to her administrations. “Don’t be that way. Let me make it all better.”

“Go. Home.” Carol said, holding more malice so that Therese would get the message, and she did that time. Therese snarled and swiftly left the bed, snatching up her articles of clothing.

“You’re a real piece of work.” Therese grumbled as she struggled to put on her dress without assistance.

“Please, save your remarks for someone who might actually care to hear them.” Carol sighed out. “Lock the door on your way out would you?” Therese paused, feeling her cheeks warm in slight embarrassment for having been spoken to with such disregard. And all too suddenly, she felt cheap, as if this hadn’t been a mutual agreement at all. She hugged her bra to her chest and green eyes looked over at Carol, and though it was dark inside the bedroom, she could make out certain features of Carol’s face and how uncaring she looked. It made Therese’s blood boil.

“Go to hell.” Therese spat before swiftly turning and exiting the bedroom and ultimately Carol’s apartment all together. Carol stayed frozen long after she heard the living room door slam shut and she waited, counted to 50, before she got up and locked the living room door. As she made her way back to her bedroom, head hung low, she wondered what it would take to pull her out of this vicious cycle she was in.

X

“Carol, you nimwit! You’re late.” Abby yelled into the phone, and Carol, who had barely pried herself awake to answer the call, felt confusion settle in as she stared up at her clock in search of the time.

“Abby, it’s 11 a.m. on a Saturday.” Carol deadpanned and she lazily dropped her head back down on her pillow.

“Yes, and my plane landed an hour ago. You’re supposed to pick me up from the airport.”

Carol’s head sprang up again. “Shit, Abby I’m sorry. It totally slipped my mind.” She hurriedly rose from her bed and switched the phone to her opposite ear as she listened to Abby onslaught of angry verbiage and tried to rush through her morning routine at the same time.

“I should’ve known you’d forget, you’re barely responsible. And why are you even still in bed? What were you doing last night to keep you asleep so late?” Abby was many things, but she wasn’t stupid. She had known Carol since she was ten years old, there wasn’t much she could get past her.

“No not what, you mean who.” Carol said smugly as images of Therese grasping at her hair as she feasted upon her crossed her mind, threatening lustful emotions to come to the surface.

“You sly devil you. You’re relentless with all these women.” Abby laughed into the phone sounding devoid of all of the anger she initially held. “One of these days you’re going to have to give up this lifestyle of promiscuity and settle down.”

Carol fake gasped into the phone just before swiping her keys and heading to her car. “Are you insinuating that someone may actually be able to make an honest woman out of me one day? Never. I’ll die before that happens.” Carol smiled when she heard Abby giggle into the phone, relishing in the sound of her best friend’s voice. It had been a little over three weeks since she last saw Abigail, the other woman leaving out of town on business, and Carol was excited to see her again. “Besides, you’re not really the appropriate person to be scolding me about settling down.” She tisked into the phone before setting it up with her car and driving off.

“About that... Carol I actually have someone I want you to meet.”

“What?” Carol asked, clearly taken by surprise, surely Abby wouldn’t be dating anyone without letting her know. “What do you mean there’s someone you want me to meet? Abigail Gerhard, you better not have entered a relationship without telling me.”

Abby was silent, possibly feeling guilty as she contemplated how to tell Carol her news. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, I have. But the time hasn’t been right, and you’re so against relationships and it’s always been me and you against the world and-“

“How long?” She asked softly.

“Just over six months.”

“Six- Abby, what the hell? How could you be dating someone for six months without telling me?” And Carol felt slightly panicked, as if Abby had cheated on her somehow, as if Abby could cheat on her. “No wonder you declined so many of my invitations to go out.” She said after giving things a little more thought. Abby had been scarce over the past months, only making little time for Carol and Carol always chalked it up to Abby’s new promotion, she did spend a lot of time out of town these days.

“I’m sorry Carol, I wanted to tell you.”

“Well you should have.” Carol chastised. “But I should be the one saying sorry. What kind of a friend am I if my own best friend doesn’t even feel comfortable with divulging something so important as her love life to me? Says a lot.”

“Oh stop it you! I didn’t tell you for fears of my own. I was afraid because of scenarios I’d made up in my own head upon telling you. But that was silly of me, you’re taking things perfectly fine.”

Carol smiled and pulled up to the curbside of the arriving flights having already spotted Abby looking in the wrong direction as she sat on her luggage with her phone held to her ear. Carol swiftly pushed her door open and stepped halfway out of her car. “Hey, nimwit, I’m over here!” That earned several disapproving looks from nearby passengers but one very pleased look from her best friend. The moment Abby turned and saw Carol she hung up the phone and impatiently tugged her luggage the short distance to Carol’s car. She enveloped her friend into a warm embrace, still laughing at how Carol caught her attention.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.” She breathes before relinquishing Carol from her grasp.

“It’s probably because you’ve been too busy with your new girl crush.” Carol teased as she grabbed Abby’s bags and threw them into the trunk. “By the way, you’re not off the hook that easy, I want to know all about this girl.”

Abby smiled and nodded as she took her respective seat on the passenger side and waited for Carol to get back in the car. “She’s younger than me.” Abby said only after they back on the road.

“Of course she is.” Carol concluded. “I could’ve guessed that. You always have gone for the young ones.”

“Yea, but she’s not like any other girl I’ve dated before. This one is different. She’s more in tune with herself, she knows what she wants. She’s driven...”

Carol flashed her friend a sideways glance and wondered how Abby had kept her relationship a secret this long. “I’m sure she is to have caught your eye Abby, I’m sure she is.” And the way that it was said was patronizing, teasing and Abby picked up on it the moment the words left Carol’s mouth.

“She really is... I’m going to propose to her.”

The words were equivalent to a bucket of cold water being dumped on Carol, causing a jolt in her body and for her to swerve out of her lane. She quickly regained the wheel but not before another angry driver honked his horn and speed by her. “Abby, tell me you’re joking. It’s only been six months. That’s barely long enough to have fallen in love.”

“Time is all subjective Carol, besides I feel like this is real, it’s right.”

Carol switched between looking at the road and flashing her friend surprised glances for a long while before she ever said anything else. “I haven’t even met this girl. You’d marry someone without letting me meet her? How’s that fair?”

“Carol, I wasn’t going to propose without telling you first. You’re obviously going to be my best woman or whatever you may call it, if she says yes.”

“Why Abigail Gerhard... I can’t believe you— marriage? What’s happened to my best friend?”

“I grew up... I fell in love.” She spoke with a wistful smile, and Carol couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“Well tell me her name at least, and when will I get to meet her?”

“Therese...” Carol felt her heartbeat slow down, all too quickly, it wasn’t exactly the most optimal time to experience early symptoms of fainting, and especially not while she was behind the wheel driving on the freeway. But it sounded a lot like Abby had just spoken the same name of the woman Carol had taken to bed the prior night.

“Therese? Is that a common name? It’s very- different.” She croaked guiltily.

Abby only smiled, unaware of anything that had transpired the night before. “I’m pretty sure she’s the only Therese in New York City, that’s for sure.”

And there had to be a mistake, Abby had to be wrong she _must_ be, because if her Therese was the only Therese in New York City, well then... Carol had unknowingly slept with her best friend’s girlfriend and only just last night...


End file.
